She Was His Strength
by Meiwa Chinmoku
Summary: "He's going to be fine," the pale-eyed woman reassured silently, grabbing his cheeks softly and placing a chaste kiss on his forehead. "You're going to be fine. I believe in you." NaruHina.


**Meiwa Says: **Konnichiwa! So this is my first ever NaruHina fic on ff. I got inspired by a song and if you guess it right, you get cookies! Lol, just kidding. But yes, guessing the song is quite easy because I've incorporated practically every line from the song. I first got the idea of writing a fic because of one line in the song. Hope you can guess it right!

_Note(s):_ _Well I guess there's very little to say. I don't think it's all that bad, but I don't think it's extraordinary either, so it's your choice, I guess. Although there is romance, there is more sadness to it, which I'm not sure if I did a good job on_**. **_Angst isn't really my forte. Nor are titles.  
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**Warning(s): **Angst, character deaths, a bit random, and slight cursing.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or any of the characters mentioned below, nor do I own the song I got inspired by.**  
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><p><strong>She Was His Strength<strong>  
><em>Meiwa Chinmoku<em>

Gentle, silk-like fingers brushed through the tanned skin of his face, mapping out every intricate detail – from his tired baby blue eyes to his precise whisker marks that resided on his face. She whispered to him, making sure to go at it a little slowly, for she knew he had a short attention span and got distracted too easily.

"He's going to be fine," the pale-eyed woman reassured silently, grabbing his cheeks softly and placing a chaste kiss on his forehead. "_You're_ going to be fine. I believe in you."

He brought his calloused hands to her chin and looked at her squarely in the eyes. He thought, long and hard about the right words to say, because he knew most of the time they came out the wrong way. His jagged blond hair swayed as he replied to her, in the softest tone he'd ever dream of using, saying, "I'll…I'll do my best to come back… _alive_. I promise."

When she winced, he realized that wasn't what she wanted to hear. She wanted to hear that everything _will_ be a success that he'll come back with his teammates unharmed. She should have been guaranteed that he _is _coming back, not in a mangled heap of corpse, but rather, in his familiar grinning face. But he couldn't lie to her, it would break her heart.

Why she had ever fallen for him was a mystery in itself, but he never doubted her. She had almost died because of his recklessness, and despite that, she jumped in the battle for him. She risked her precious energy, wounded her precious skin and practically stopped her precious, _precious_ heart to save him. Yes, it was a mystery, how someone as perfect as Hinata loved him, the Kyuubi holder. It was a story of an angel and a demon.

She was his protector, the woman who healed his scars over time. And instead of driving him away after learning of the hideous beast that resided in him, she embraced his imperfection and loved his soul. This was Hinata Hyuga, a kunoichi who would not hate him for his flaws, but accept them.

It was a bleak summer's day when he returned with his eyes lifeless and body brutally wounded. She had been waiting for his arrival at the gates, and was worried day and night for his well-being. When she saw him in that helpless state, her heart cried for him and pitied him. For some reason, she felt as if he had lost everything he had.

He looked at her with eyes that betrayed his smile. She could see past his lies and used her limited knowledge of healing to fix his wounds. Behind him, a pink-haired girl was approaching, with the same solemn look on her face. It was evident that Sakura was chakra-depleted, and needed to be brought to the hospital as soon as possible.

Without a second thought, Ino scurried towards her friend and caught her once she began to fall. The two slowly walked towards the hospital, to give Sakura the proper treatment she so badly needed. No one seemed to have been behind her, and Hinata realized, they may have lost many lives.

She looked up at him, eyes pitifully curious and silently asked him why everyone's spirits were dampened.

He couldn't stop the tears. The tears built up on the corner of his irises and before he knew it, his knees went weak and he fell. She caught him, just like she did many times before.

"N-Naruto-kun…what…what h-happened?" Hinata cried.

He continued to sob on her shoulder, pathetically hiccupping from time to time. Villagers shrouded their figures, all looking somber and wistful at their poor blond hero, though not knowing the tragic occurrences, hoping to offer some comfort.

"P-Please Naruto-kun…tell me…"

Naruto shook his head, as if telling her that this wasn't the right time to tell her. So she nodded sagely and rubbed his back, kissing the temple of his forehead when it deemed necessary.

Soon, his sobs died out, reducing him to sniffles. His arms were tightly wrapped around her, almost preventing the circulation of her blood but it didn't matter. He needed to be comforted, and she needed to be his source of strength.

Ino then approached them, water flowing down her own eyes. Her mouth was covered and she was trying to prevent a sob, but that only resulted with a choke.

"W-What happened? P-Please tell me."

The blond ducked and hugged Naruto or what was available of him, whispering soothing words to a nodding boy. Hinata had a speculation since he returned, but it felt wrong and disrespectful to think of such thoughts. She settled to waiting for the perfect time, rather than to force the answer out of them.

"_He_…he's dead, H-Hina-chan…they _all_ are…"

_All of them?_ Her mind could only register. When he said all of them, he meant his teammates who had not returned – Sai, Kakashi, Yamato and a few other chuunins they brought for backup. Despite not knowing half of them, Hinata cried as well. Cried for the life they could not live; cried for the families that would dread a terrible loss; and cried for her lover, who was willing to do anything in his power to bring the unwanted traitor back. They were against it at one point, but they respected Team Seven's wishes and also felt sympathy for each of them.

His best friend had died, by his own hands. She could understand the excruciating pain he was going through, almost too well, in fact. She had also lost someone as important as her best friend, her mother, her okaa-san.

The three just kneeled there, sobbing, before a messenger brought news that Tsunade wanted a full report, despite already knowing the circumstance.

He stood up straight and strong, breathed deeply and nodded to the two girls. Hinata followed him while Ino mentioned something about checking on Sakura.

When they'd arrive at the Hokage's Office, Tsunade had her chin on her interlaced hands. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was set in a thin line, neither of them could understand what she was feeling.

"Report, Uzumaki. _Now_."

Hinata, as Tsunade's temporary assistant since Shizune had business to deal with in the Land of Vegetables, almost squeaked an objection but bit her lip. Going against the Hokage's decisions when she looked so serious was probably the worst thing a loyal ninja could do.

He reported to her, every single detail of what happened. She nodded every time and requested for a written report, to which he nodded his head then hung it dejectedly. Tsunade then called out for Hinata as Naruto left.

She waited for the Hokage to speak, her back straight and her eyes firm.

"You're fired."

Her pale eyes widened as the two words escaped the Hokage's lips. "E-Excuse me, Tsunade-sama?"

"I said…_you're fired_," Tsunade repeated with the same look on her face, indicating that she was not playing around. "Right now, Naruto needs you more than I do. He'd probably cry everyday for the rest of the week, but it doesn't mean that he'll get over it. He just killed his best friend, Hinata, and practically lost all but one of his team. Naruto is going to need you, now more than ever and I need him to set things straight. I don't want the Elders believing I picked a crybaby to be the next Hokage."

"B-But what about paperwork…and…and my missions?"

"Don't worry about the damned paperwork, I sent word to ask for Shizune to return immediately. And as for missions… think of this as an A-class mission…the mission ends when he's ready to go out and be annoying again… understood?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama…I am happy to accept this mission."

"Good. You are dismissed."

When she found him idly standing under the harsh sunlight, she expected tears to be streaming down his face. He knew not to show any emotion under any circumstances, but when he was alone, he'd let it go. So to her surprise and utter gratitude, he was neither looking down nor crying.

"Naruto-kun…shall we leave?" Hinata asked, reaching out to hold his hand.

He smiled a very small, sad smile and took her offered hand, nodding his head. She knew it wouldn't take hours, or minutes or days for him to get over the many deaths that occurred during his last mission. It would take weeks, months or even _years_ for him to be able to smile genuinely again, and she needed all the help she could get.

But right now, there will be no trying, no comforting. For even underneath his tough exterior, he needed to let all his built-up pain out.

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><p><strong>Meiwa Chinmoku:<strong> By temporary assistant, I mean like, for a week or two. Thank you to notgonnasay09 for the very useful information! It really helped. It would be nice to hear from you on ways to improve, but please, no flames. And yes, I think you must hate me for killing Sasuke, Kakashi, Yamato and Sai...sorry 'bout that.


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